Several
research
studies
have
suggested
that
contrails
(condensation
trails
from
aircraft)
can
alter
the
radiative
budget
of
the
Earth
by
increasing
the
cloud
cover
at
high
altitudes.
The
tragic
events
of
September
11,
2001,
caused
virtually
all
air
traffic
to
be
grounded
over
the
US
for
nearly
three
days.
The
absence
of
contrails
over
the
United
States
during
this
time
gave
scientists
a
unique
opportunity
...
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Scientists
have
studied
the
physical
properties
of
clouds
and
have
developed
instruments
onboard
satellites
to
characterize
the
types
of
clouds
they
see
below.
Some
satellites
have
instruments
that
allow
them
to
measure
rainfall
as
well.
For
this
lesson,
students
will
hypothesize
what
types
of
clouds
they
believe
will
create
the
most
precipitation
(rainfall)
over
Nashville,
TN.
Students
use
the
Live
...
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This
lesson
is
designed
to
help
students
gain
knowledge
in
using
the
MY
NASA
DATA
Live
Access
Server
(LAS)
to
specify
and
download
a
microset
of
data,
then
to
use
the
data
to
compare
the
ozone
levels
of
selected
regions
around
the
world.
Students
locate
and
identify
geographical
regions
using
latitude
and
longitude;
then,
in
groups,
students
create
and
analyze
graphs
of
ozone
levels
for
the
identified
...
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The purpose of this resource is to learn about latitude and longitude while developing math skills. Students begin by asking the simple question: 'Where Am I?' Then they learn about the magnetic Earth and the use of compasses and angles. Students also learn about the difference between relative and absolute locations. Throughout this activity, students practice using a variety of math skills.
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Virtual
Earthquake
is
an
interactive
web-based
program
designed
to
introduce
the
concepts
of
how
an
earthquake
epicenter
is
located
and
how
the
Richter
magnitude
of
an
earthquake
is
determined.
Virtual
Earthquake
shows
the
recordings
of
an
earthquake's
seismic
waves
detected
by
instruments
far
away
from
the
earthquake.
The
instrument
recording
the
seismic
waves
is
called
a
seismograph
and
the
recording
...
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The
National
Atmospheric
Deposition
Program
monitors
wet
atmospheric
deposition
(chemical
constituents
deposited
from
the
atmosphere
via
rain,
sleet
and
snow)
at
over
220
National
Trends
Network
sites
throughout
the
United
States.
This
site
contains
a
long-term,
high-quality
database
of
atmospheric
deposition
for
research
support
in
the
areas
of
acid
rain,
air
quality,
water
quality,
agricultural
...
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Grade level:
Middle (6-8), High (9-12), College (13-14), College (15-16), Graduate / Professional

This
Internet-based
collaborative
project
will
allow
students
to
share
information
about
water
usage
with
other
students
from
around
the
country
and
the
world.
Based
on
data
collected
by
their
household
members
and
their
classmates,
students
will
determine
the
average
amount
of
water
used
by
one
person
in
a
day.
They
will
compare
this
to
the
average
amount
of
water
used
per
person
per
day
in
other
...
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The
Chesapeake
Bay
is
the
largest
estuary
in
the
US.
Eleven
rivers
empty
into
the
bay
creating
the
Chesapeake
Bay
Watershed.
From
urban
areas
and
cultivated
fields
in
which
wetlands
were
not
preserved,
runoff
can
run
into
the
rivers
unfiltered.
This
runoff
can
include
nutrients
that
can
cause
uncontrolled
growth
of
an
abundance
of
algae
which
can
eventually
increase
the
turbidity
of
the
river,
not
...
Full description.

Students will examine data in several formats in order to determine the presence or absence of seasonal variability in tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations. The dataset used in this lesson is monthly averages of NO2 as measured from NASA's EOS Aura spacecraft.
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Weather
involves
the
daily
fluctuations
in
temperature,
humidity,
clouds,
winds,
etc.
By
contrast,
climate
is
the
long
term
weather
patterns
in
a
region.
Therefore,
to
assess
changes
in
climate,
one
has
to
look
at
average
changes
over
long
periods
of
time.
Students
will
use
long
wave
radiation
data
to
determine
whether
the
climate
has
changed
in
Portland,
Oregon
over
a
20
year
time
span.
They
will
...
Full description.